


for if dreams die

by sygmys



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Oral Sex, Protect them at all costs, Protective Kylo Ren, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey Palpatine, Sex, Smuggler Kylo Ren, abusive palpatine, finn is a soldier, kylo ren infamous thief and hooligan, poe is a baddie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:33:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24259699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sygmys/pseuds/sygmys
Summary: Looking back on it now, it must’ve been the adrenaline of his escape that made him think climbing the hair hanging off the tower would be a good idea. Weirder things surely must’ve happened before, but when he reaches the top and whips open the window panels, thinking he’s finally found sanctuary, something even weirder happens.He’s whipped in the face with a frying pan, and he’s knocked out cold.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	1. the thief and the dreamer

**Author's Note:**

> ** Please mind archive warnings. Domestic abuse in this chapter begins in the paragraph beginning with “He cackles” and ends with the dialogue “Come, lower me down.”

~ ✽ ~

_Hold fast to dreams  
For if dreams die  
Life is a broken-winged bird  
That cannot fly._

_Hold fast to dreams_  
For when dreams go  
Life is a barren field  
Frozen with snow.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

~ ✽ ~

For as long as Rey could remember, she has lived in the same place. The same tall tower with the same view out of her single window. This home has been all she has ever known.

“There are bad men out there, child,” her grandfather Palpatine would always remind her. “Bad men who wish to use you for your talents.”

Sometimes she reflects on her situation as she sits on the same stool singing the same incantation every night for her dear grandfather. For if it weren’t for him, she likely wouldn’t be alive. Rey’s parents were killed when she was a baby and her grandfather rescued her and brought her here, to her forever home. He told her the harrowing tale was the reason she was confined to the tower for her own protection.

In return for saving her life before it had even really begun, Rey sings for her grandfather obediently. Her hair begins to glow, roots all the way to the tips sprawled on the floor, washing the room in a glow of golden light. As she sings, she can see the life return to her ageing grandfather’s eyes. His wrinkles diminish, his hunched back grows straighter, and his energy is replenished. This is all she has ever known.

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_let your powers shine,_

_make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

That was the line that always made her think of her parents. Even though she never knew them, it pains her to think about them. She can never bring them back.

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_change the Fates' design,_

_save what has been lost,_

_bring back what once was mine,_

_what once was mine…_

Meeting her parents someday is a dream not worth dreaming, it will only bring her sorrow. She used to ask her grandfather all the time about who they were, what they did, what they looked like. The repeated questions only made him cross, so she stopped asking.

“Ah, much better,” he croons. She is hazily awoken out of her thoughts. He hands Rey her hairbrush and gives her head a steady kiss, no longer shaking like before. She takes the hairbrush and gives him a half-hearted smile. 

“Happy birthday, flower.”

Bidding her goodnight, he stalks up to his chambers. She watches him go up the stairs until the door closes behind him.

Once she is sure he is asleep, a jolt of excitement fills her body. “BB-8!” she whispers. 

The little orange chameleon comes crawling out of the shadows with a squeak and a smile. Once she scoops him up onto her shoulder, she runs to put the stool by the window and swings the two large panels open. 

Rey found BB-8 when she was little. He found his way up into the tower escaping from a murderous snake looking for its next meal. She had rescued him from peril and offered him a home with her. He was her best friend in the whole world, and she was his.

Now they sit together looking out the window, and sure enough, the first light rises into the sky. If her grandfather caught her and BB-8 doing this, she doesn’t want to think about what would happen to her.

Every year on the night of her birthday, the most magical stars can be seen from her window. And every year, she wishes she could reach out, grab one, and keep it close to her heart forever.

With BB-8 starry-eyed and happy next to her, she smiles and dreams of one day going to see these stars with him. For if she can’t dream of the impossible dream of one day meeting her parents, this dream will work just fine.

Almost a year later

~ ✽ ~

If Kylo Ren was one thing, besides being impressively handsome and charismatic and dashing and intelligent beyond compare, it was a hell of a good thief.

If Armitage Hux was one thing, it was a conniving little weasel. 

As Hux and his moronic side-kick, Mitaka slowly lower Ren down into the throne room with a long piece of rope, its impossible not to believe Hux was planning on the exact time to betray him.

Inches away from the lost princess’ crown, Ren is careful not to make a sound. It's not like anybody would miss the crown, anyway. There is nobody around to wear it, so they were really doing the Queen and King a service. 

The guard’s backs were facing him as he carefully plucked the crown jewels from its gaudy pillow and places it in his satchel. It was practically begging to be stolen.

And then, just like that, Mitaka _sneezes._ Ren tugs on the rope like a madman, rushing them to pull him up. The guards look at each other quizzically, and in the thieves’ haste, they give themselves away.

The guards finally turn around when it’s too late. Ren is already out of the hole they carved out of the roof and the three bandits are running down the panels. 

As they run they can hear the shouts of alarm. 

“ _Mitaka_!!” Ren yells.

“It’s not my fault its allergy season!” 

Ren stops in his tracks and jabs a finger at Mitaka. “It will be your fault when we’re in the _dungeon!”_

During his distraction, Hux plucks the crown out of Ren’s satchel and scurries down the makeshift ladder they made on the side of the palace wall. Ren huffs and rolls his eyes. Weasel.

In a swift flash of his sword, he cuts the ladder and hears Hux squeal and thud to the ground. Mitaka shrieks behind him.

“Oh come on, Mitaka,” with a smirk, Ren reveals the crown from behind his back. He swiped it from Hux when he turned to descend down the ladder. “You really think I’d let him take it? You’re hurting my feelings.”

They both leap from shock as arrows narrowly miss their feet. The guards are on their trail. “Their aim is still off,” Ren muses. “Oh well, let’s go.”

“But how? You cut the ladder!” Mitaka is going white with fear.

Ren rolls his eyes and grabs the boys arm, running further along the side of the castle wall until they reach a banner hanging over the street. He pushes a still squealing Mitaka onto the banner and leaps to follow, cutting it behind them in the process. As they swing down onto the street and directly into an alleyway, Ren applauds himself for his perfect planning. With Hux’s arrest as a perfect distraction, he and Mitaka, who is so sweet and innocent that he doesn’t deserve the same fate as the weasel, can make a daring escape. 

Behind a crate lay two discreetly stashed capes. He tosses one to Mitaka and they both fasten them around their necks. “Kylo Ren, you sure know how to plan an escape.”

“Thanks, kid! Glad to contribute to your education.”

The two criminals run further down the alleyway and turn right along the bricked walls. Approaching the main street slowly, Ren looks both ways to make sure there are no guards. They’re running in the opposite direction. His plan was working perfectly, they hadn’t seen the trick with the banner. 

They sprint across the street to the stable (really, they make it almost too easy to plan escapes around here) and leap onto the two horses closest to them. Cutting the horses’ bindings to the post, the make off down the streets of Exogol, ridding along with the wind.

~ ✽ ~

“I hope your journey today is pleasant, grandfather,” says Rey. She fastens his cloak around his neck and hands him his basket of lunch. 

He pats her hands and looks her in the eyes. “Be good, my child.”

As he turns to the window, Rey musters all her courage and begins reciting what she has been practicing in her head all week. “Grandfather, in two days I will be eighteen.”

He looks at her, puzzled, but she continues on quickly before he can say anything. “I have never asked anything of you for any of my birthdays. I am grateful to you for everything you have done for me and would never dream of overstepping-"

“Child-” he warns.

She beats on. “Every night on my birthday there are stars in the sky. I wish to go out into the world with your permission to see them for myself.”

“There are stars every night. You can see them from here, as you always have.” His tone is solid and he’s giving her _that_ look.

“These are different, grandfather. I swear it. I’m eighteen, I can handle myself-”

He cackles. “You swear it, eh?” With a flash of light, she goes tumbling to the floor. The pain from the lighting erupting from his fingers seizes her in place. “Flower, I let you paint the walls of our home to your heart's content. I provide for you, I feed you, I protect you. And you _dare,”_ she shivers at his words, “disrespect me by asking to see _stars?!”_

Tears well up in her eyes. Her whole body is trembling. “I’m… I’m sorry. I only thought-“

“You thought nothing,” he groans gesturing to her, “now look what you made me do.”

The pain washes over her and her breathing evens out. He’s hurt her with much worse for disobeying him before, and she is grateful she doesn’t have to relive that pain now.

“Come, lower me down,” he orders.

She slowly gets up and walks over to the window. She wraps her hair around the hook in the ceiling and hands him her hair. He holds it in his fingers and lifts it to his nose. He takes a deep inhale and his eyes never leave her hair. “Forget this foolish notion. Do not make me say it again.”

“Yes, grandfather,” she says.

Once he is lowered onto the grass below the tower, she doesn’t bother to lift her hair back up. She’s exhausted from pulling his weight down onto the surface. She closes the window, leaving a tiny crack, and lays there on the carpet, weeping. BB-8 scurries out from his tiny hiding place and gives her a lick on the cheek. They lay there like that for some time, until the darkness takes them to sleep.

~ ✽ ~

Kylo thought Mitaka would last longer, but it seems for today he shall remain a rookie. He shook him what feels like forever ago, likely picked up by the guards. Now Kylo rides on hard and fast through the forest. 

He begins to relax when he reaches a familiar part of the Thieves Forest and hasn’t heard any shouting from oncoming guards for a little while. He slows down his horse and hops off, letting it rest and graze upon the grass.

Its a beautiful, sunny day to get rich. What more could he ask for? He opens his satchel and looks at his reflection in the beautiful diamonds intricately placed on the crown, a wicked smile growing.

He looks up to see another one of his wanted posters pinned to a tree. He analyzes his portrait. “They just can’t get my nose right,” he muses. It must be a funny joke to them, but nobody can catch the infamous Kylo Ren.

He nearly leaps in surprise when an arrow comes flying past his cheek, hitting his portrait dead centre on the nose.

He whips around, shoving the crown back into his satchel and throwing his hands up. A man with deep skin and short black hair on top of a white palace mare aims a crossbow straight at him.

“Kylo Ren.”

He squints his eyes and analyzes his new opponent. “You’re new, have you arrested me before?”

“My name is Finn,” the man declares, puffing his chest, “and, uh, no, I graduated training last week.”

“Oh!” Ren smiles his signature smile. “Congratulations, Finnegan.”

Finn lowers his crossbow a bit, quirking an eyebrow. “No, its just Finn, actually.”

Ren nods and shrugs. “I think Finnegan has a nicer ring. So uh, how’d you find me, _Finn?”_

“I followed the smell of a thief’s desperation and it led me right to you.”

Ren scoffs, “Oh come now, that was a cheap shot. Let me show you how it's done.” As quick as a flash, he tosses a crudely made wooden snake and the horse's feet and it goes _wild,_ neighing and kicking about. Finn falls right off his horse and his crossbow miss-fires, hitting Ren’s wanted poster again. 

“HAH! You missed!” He runs to his stolen horse and leaps on. Not looking back at poor young Finn, he whips his horse's reigns and they are off again, riding deeper into the Thieves Forest.

Finn is already right on his trail, shooting arrows at Kylo and missing by a hair each time. _Damn, this kid is good._

Ren tries to think of a plan as he rides and takes a turn into a deeper, overgrown part of the forest. He whips around a number of trees, bending forward as to not get smacked by a branch. He looks over his shoulder and sure enough, the young guard is still hot on his trail. 

When he looks back ahead, he screams. His horse stops abruptly in front of a large cliff and Ren goes flying off of his stolen steed.

_SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT -_

He grabs onto a branch that immediately snaps from the force of his fall.

He grabs another, thicker one, and this time he’s safe. He sighs with relief.

Another arrow whizzes past him and he yips. He looks up at Finn, eyes wide. “Are you crazy! You could’ve killed me!”

“That’s the idea, thief! Unless you wanna throw the crown up here and meet the hangman’s rope with your dignity still intact.” He fires again and misses.

“My dignity is _fine,_ thank you! Many women of your precious Exogol have assured me of it!”

Finn scoffs with disgust and aims again. Kylo knows there’s no getting out of this tough spot alive, so he does one of the craziest things he’s done in his life and _lets go of the branch_.

Screaming his way down the steep cliff, his fall is broken by a tall tree. He grabs onto a branch and swings himself safely to the ground, eyes wide with shock. He actually made it. His hands fly to his hip for his satchel and sure enough, it survived the miraculous escape too. He laughs with mad glee.

In the distance, he hears a horse whinny. This kid is _ruthless_. Ren sprints across the path. He’s running completely blind, he’s never been in this part of the forest before.

Heart hammering in his chest, he crouches down behind a large tree and slowly tip-toes back, meaning to hide from the stubborn new guard until the coast is clear. 

Blindly reaching behind him for what he thought was a rock wall, he falls through a sheet of vines and lands on his ass. Concealed by the zines, he hears Finn ride straight past him. Ren sighs with relief.

He turns to see a cave-like tunnel heading towards an open clearing. Knowing he can’t hide in the same spot too long, he makes his way down the cave.

When he reaches the other side, he’s shocked by what he finds. A massively tall tower stands before him with, wait, is that _hair_ flowing out the window?

Looking back on it now, it must’ve been the adrenaline of his escape that made him think climbing the hair hanging off the tower would be a good idea. Weirder things surely must’ve happened before, but when he reaches the top and whips open the window panels, thinking he’s finally found sanctuary, something even weirder happens. 

He’s whipped in the face with a frying pan, and he’s knocked out cold.


	2. the reluctant agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so inspired today that I wrote three whole chapters at once. Thank you for all the love so far! 
> 
> Scroll to the bottom for any possible warnings (this is a very mild chapter).

She felt the tugging on her hair just minutes before he entered the tower. Knowing that there was no possible way for her grandfather to _climb up the tower on his own_ , as he exclusively uses the pulley system, Rey’s heart almost leaped out of her chest. It didn’t help that she was stunned out of her sleep and still in serious pain from earlier, either.

“BB-8, someone is climbing up my hair,” she panics. BB-8 turns from orange to white in fear.

She tries to think of a plan. “I shouldn’t have left my hair out of the window. What was I thinking? Whoever is climbing up the tower is going to kidnap me and take my hair-“ 

BB-8’s squeaking snaps her alert. He’s gesturing to a big frying pan she keeps above the mantlepiece. 

Her eyes grow wide. “Brilliant!”

She runs for the pan despite the ache her grandfather’s lightning left her with. As soon as she grabs it, the windows fly open and she turns with a great swing right at his face. With a loud and satisfying _BANG!_ , he drops to the floor at her feet.

She takes a moment to hunch over and catch her breath, putting her hands on her knees. “Now what do we do?” she says to her loyal chameleon friend. He just shrugs.

She creeps closer to his crumpled figure on the floor to get a better look. He fell onto his side, and now Rey can see the full scope of him.

He’s a rather large and muscular man. His fist could crush her in two seconds flat, to be sure. His hair is a mess of glossy black locks, his cheeks peppered with beauty marks, and a subtle beard decorates his chin. He’s wearing a green jacket and brown trousers with worn-out boots to match. He has a bag slung around his shoulder, no doubt filled with weapons to torture her with.

In a weird, twisted way, her attempted captor is almost… handsome.

She’s read about dashing princes in her books that grandfather lets her read. The kind of men who pluck unsuspecting girls from their families, never to be seen again, under the guise of “true love.” She can understand why the women in these stories are charmed by the men, especially if they look anything like the one laying on her painted floor.

Wanting to get a closer look, for curiosity’s sake, she tells herself, she tiptoes closer to him. With her frying pan, she lifts his mouth to check for pointy teeth, but his teeth are like hers, perfectly normal.

BB-8 catches her attention, pointing down out the tower window.

“BB-8 that is absolutely inhumane. We have to find out how he found us first, _then_ we throw him out the window.” He nods like a little chameleon soldier.

~ ✽ ~

Kylo yelps at the feeling of something cold and wet in his ear. Alarmed, he yells and quickly tries to scan his surroundings. It's dark, and his memory of how he got here is fuzzy, but slowly he begins to remember the chase, Finnegan, the tower and… _the crown._

He moves to get up but finds he’s tied up in a chair by… hair? He looks around for his satchel but can’t see and begins to panic.

Suddenly, a skylight opens above him and he squints as his eyes to adjust.

“Where am I?” he calls to the dark.

A female voice calls from the darkness. “You don’t get to ask questions, _murderer.”_

_“_ Murderer? I’ve never killed anyone or anything in my life in my line of work, thank you very much!”

“I doubt that, ruffian.”

And then he sees her. She steps out of the darkness slowly, barefoot and holding that damn frying pan. At the sight of it, his headache intensifies.

It's all her hair, that’s for sure. Her long blonde locks cascade down past her simple purple dress and around the floor all the way to tie him up in the chair. Even after all that there’s still more hair surrounding them.

To her credit, she’s very pretty. One of the prettiest girls he’s seen in Exogol, and that’s saying something. Her freckles, her hazel eyes, her figure, the fact that she has him tied to a chair… He can’t deny he could be interrogated by much worse.

“Who are you, and how did you find me?” she asks.

_Alright, time to put on the charm._

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, princess,” she fake gags at the pet name, but he continues, “I was running from someone out in the forest, I came across your tower by chance, climbed it, and now I’m here… with you. It’s your lucky day!” He smirks flirtatiously, giving her the look that always works with the ladies.

“I don’t believe you,” she seethes, coming closer to him. He notices a slight limp in her walk and takes note of it for his escape later. However, a part of him deep down feels a twinge of pity for her.

“I’m being honest, sweetheart-“

“Stop calling me names!” she yells.

He shrugs, “I can’t help myself.”

“What do you want with me? _Who are you?_ ” she demands, frying pain aimed at his face.

“The name is Kylo Ren, I’m actually offended you don’t recognize me from my wanted posters. They never get my nose right anyway. And right now? I’d like my satchel back and to get as far away from here as possible,” he explains. She doesn’t falter, it's clear she doesn’t believe him.

“I’ve had about enough of this.” Frying pan still in hand, she grips the seat and pulls him toward her, inches away from her face. “What do you want with my hair, _tell me!”_

_Her hair?!_ “Well for starters, a list of the products you use, it's very shiny…” and then he notices that she’s shaking. Her hand is white from gripping the chair so hard. Sweat is building upon her brow. 

“You’re hurt.” Did he just say that out loud? Why does he care?

“Don’t mock me-“

He interrupts. “Let go of the chair, you’re going to make it worse for yourself,” he says with no hint of his usual flirtation in his tone. Only an odd note of concern which is, admittedly, very unlike him.

After a moment of hesitation, she listens to him for once and puts him back down slowly. Her chameleon watches from the corner concerned.

“I’m telling the truth, my name is Kylo Ren, I’m a thief, but I didn’t come for you. Honest. I didn’t even know you were here.”

She looks at him, _really_ looks at him, and decides to believe him. She nods and sits on the floor in a pool of her hair, deep in thought.

“I’ll never tell anyone that you’re here. I won’t ever come back, I just need my satchel and I’ll be on my way.” His strategy is to be calm and gentle because it seems to be the only thing that’s working. She clearly didn’t fall for the flirting, but this is doing the trick.

She looks to her chameleon and it shakes its head no. Little bugger.

“You’re not getting your satchel until you help me.”

He can’t hold it in any longer. “Whyyy?” he whines.

She nods to her chameleon and it scurries over to a curtain. With its teeth, it pulls it back, showing a hidden painting on the wall. There sits a girl with long golden hair, no doubt Blondie here, looking at… lanterns?

“That lantern thing they do for the princess? How am I supposed to help you with that.”

“Lanterns…” she says to herself, eyes full of wonder. “I thought they were stars.” She clears her throat. “You will take me to see them when they light the night sky in four days. Then I will give you your precious satchel and we will go our separate ways.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” it's her turn to whine now.

“I can’t go back to the kingdom. I’m a wanted thief, and I’m not about to take some girl I met in a tower there just to get arrested and never get my satchel back. Sorry, it’s not happening Blondie.”

“You are in no position to negotiate, _thief_.” At least she got it right for once. “I promise you upon my safe journey to these lanterns in four days time, you will get your satchel back. And only then.”

He rolls his eyes. “How am I supposed to believe you?”

“I never, ever break a promise.”

Her damn chameleon nods its head. Kylo is starting to get really annoyed of it really quickly.

“ _Fine_ ,” he agrees. He’ll just ditch her the moment he can and take the satchel. She’s a girl, way younger than he is, she won’t know any better.

But then the humanitarian in him comes out, “we leave tomorrow, once you’re well enough. I don’t need you slowing us down.”

“ _Fine_ ,” she mimics. She moves to untie him and her hair comes loose. He sighs with relief. “Don’t think about looking for your satchel, its well hidden-“

“ _Rey!”_

Her name is Rey.

Her eyes go wide. “It’s my grandfather. Quick! Get in that closet, _now.”_

He runs inside and she limps her way over to shut the door behind him. All he can see now is through a tiny crack. “Don’t make a sound.”

~ ✽ ~

When she opens the window, she’s a ball of nerves. It's already sunset, somehow. She must’ve been asleep and dealing with Kylo whoever for a longer than she thought.

Her hair, now fully fastened into the pulley system, hangs low for her grandfather to grab a hold of. Trying not to show how much pain she’s still in from before, she pulls him up, and it feels like it goes on _forever_. 

“Took you long enough,” he grumbles. He walks across the room and sets his basket on the table as she retrieves her hair. “I hope you have learned your lesson, child. No more of these ridiculous requests. I won’t hear it again.”

Rey can feel Kylo’s eyes on them and prays he doesn’t give himself away. She tries to give a neutral face.

He looks to the wall and notices the painting. BB-8 must’ve forgotten to move the curtain back in their haste. Rey quivers in fear, knowing what is coming. “Yes, grandfather, I will never ask you again.”

He snarls and with a swift move of his hand, lightning strikes the wall, scorching her painting. Burning up her _dream._

Kylo looks on from the crack in the closet, horrified. No wonder she was so terrified of him, she lives with the creepiest warlock he’s ever seen. He treats her like she’s nothing.

“My poor bones,” Palpatine cries. “Look what you made me do, you foolish girl. Come, sing for me.”

Rey tenses. “Perhaps in your chambers, grandfather? So you may rest after?”

He looks at her, face even yet menacing, and eventually nods. “A fine idea,” he concludes.

Once they go up the stairs and into his room, Kylo exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding. What has he gotten himself into? After the insane lightning show, he doesn’t dare move from his hiding spot, so he tries to get as comfortable as possible for the night in the small cramped space.

The last thing he remembers before falling asleep is her voice, her beautiful singing voice, and golden light on his eyelids.

~ ✽ ~

“Young Finn, you have done remarkably well, you tracked that conniving Kylo Ren further than any of our best guards,” praises the Captain of the Guard, Paige Tico.

“Thank you, Captain. I only wish I could have brought him to justice before you and your Majesties.”

He’s kneeling before the Queen and King of Exogol in the large throne room. He is on one knee with a hand on his heart, head bowed.

“Young man, there will be a chance for you to do so,” booms the King.

The Captain nods in agreement. “You will be sent to track the thief in the Thieves Forest. Should he go beyond the reaches of our kingdom, you will continue to follow him. Do not come back until you have him in chains.”

“Yes, Captain.”

He tries to contain his excitement. His first real mission!

“However,” the Captain says, “you will not be alone. My sister Rose shall accompany you. She is one of the finest trackers and warriors in the kingdom.”

He tries not to groan in front of the King and Queen. He doesn’t want her sister hovering over him and criticizing him, he works far better alone. She walks up onto the dais next to her sister and pledges her oath to the King and Queen. She’s a small thing, with short black hair pulled back into a tight bun. She surely doesn’t look like one of the finest warriors in the kingdom. “I will not fail you,” she concludes. She looks at Finn and smirks.

This is going to be a _long_ mission.

~ ✽ ~

“Kylo?”

He awakens to Rey shaking him gently. That damn chameleon is on her shoulder and the morning light pools into the room behind her. She puts a finger to his lips and he blinks away the sleep in his eyes. “Morning, blondie,” he groans.

She rolls her eyes and helps pull him out of the closet. He stretches like a cat, back cracking once he’s fully rightened. She grabs the same basket her grandfather held yesterday and hands him his cloak. He ties it around his neck and puts on the hood. As he does so, she fastens the frying pan to the sash around her waist with a makeshift loop at the handle.

“He’s still asleep, we should go now before he wakes up-“

“Rey,” he grabs her arm. “Are you sure you want to do this? What would he do to you when he realizes you’re gone?”

He can see the pain in her eyes. She brushes off his hand, determined and stubborn. 

“Don’t you see he will hurt you worse than you were yesterday?”

“Its nothing I haven’t already endured,” she says, pained.

He crosses her path. “Yeah, it’ll be worse-“

“Understand me now, Kylo Ren. You will not change my mind. Seeing those lanterns is my dream, haven’t you ever had a dream? I would do anything to see them, even trusting a thief I just met. We’re going to those lanterns.” 

He gives up and doesn’t try to persuade her again. He doesn’t know why he cares, but he just… does. It's clear to see that her grandfather abuses her, and a part of him deep down that he hasn’t thought of in years can empathize with her. Besides, there’s something attractive about her stubbornness that he just can’t shake.

She whips her hair onto the hook and ties it around their waists. The close proximity is awkward, especially with her demon chameleon staring right at him with slitted eyes as his arm has nowhere left to go but around her shoulder. She hands him the basket and looks down at the world below. “I’ve never left the tower before,” she breathes, looking down.

“Can’t be too bad, with the vicious bears, and criminals, and-“ she elbows him in the gut. He looks at her with a smirk and her eyes go wide. Two can play at that game. He steps off of the window ledge, taking her with him.

She squirms in his grasp the whole way down, screaming into his chest to muffle the sound so her grandfather doesn’t hear. He grabs onto the hair to stop them right before touching the ground. “Last chance,” he declares.

“I can’t believe you.” With one last venom-filled glance at him, she looks down at the ground. After taking some deep breaths, her tight grip on him loosens and she puts one barefoot in the grass.

It feels like her heart is about to explode. She could kiss the sky. She’s so, _happy_. She wiggles her toes in the grass experimentally. It feels exactly like she thought it would. For a moment, Kylo is gone, the tower is gone, her grandfather is gone, and there is nothing left in the world but her and the world itself. She jumps into the small pond and kicks and splashes about. She laughs and just _runs._ Runs right through the clearing, right through the tunnel, right out of the tower’s field of view. She bolts through the vines, and arms wide, smile beaming, turns her head up to the morning sun and breathes it all in.

Kylo could _vomit_. He has to ditch this girl _fast._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible Archive Warnings:  
> \- Kylo is tied up in a chair in Rey's hair (hah! That rhymed) but he isn't hurt.  
> \- Palpatine loses his temper but does not inflict any harm.  
> \- Rey is still a little shaken up/sore by the lightning strike in the first chapter but is okay.
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyloreyx1  
> Tumblr: https://kyloreyx.tumblr.com
> 
> I would love to hear any feedback and am currently following back everyone on twitter. I just made my account today!
> 
> Also, if you've seen the Tangled TV series, Rose is my version of Cassandra ;)


	3. the snuggly duckling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was looking over the first two chapters this morning and I realized I made a mistake in chapter one! I said Rey's birthday was in two days when really it should've been four. I got confused with the movie's timeline instead of the timeline of this story. To be absolutely clear, in this chapter, its three days until Rey's eighteenth birthday.
> 
> No archive warnings for this one! If I missed something, I apologize, but I'm pretty sure this chapter is clear.

Not even ten minutes later and Rey is laying face-first in the grass. They got a few feet into the clearing before the overwhelming sense of dread and guilt washed over her. 

Kylo already knows the cycle of grief she experiences over and over by heart. First, she starts off by being so excited she left her tower. It's cute, really, how elated she is to experience the world for the first time, in a toddler sort of way. She pokes around at flowers, climbs trees, and chases birds and small squirrels.

Then she asks where they’re going to go, what they’re going to do first, and which way is fastest to get to the lanterns like she can’t wait for the next three days to fly by. 

Then the doubt settles in. She begins to worry about what her grandfather would think if she should be doing this at all, and how scary the outside world could be. “Think of it Kylo! Monsters, quicksand, more _thieves!”_

Someone really needs to tell her that quicksand isn’t as big of a problem as the storybooks make it out to be.

The stage she’s at now is fear. Fear of what her grandfather will do once he finds out she’s gone. Fear that only living in abuse for as long as she has would give. Now she’s seriously thinking about turning around, pretending like none of this happened, and sliding back into her tower before her grandfather wakes up. Which, for the record, is definitely the decision Kylo supports. However, every time he agrees with the idea, she gets mad and accuses him of only wanting her to go home for his satchel (can you blame him? She’s absolutely right) so off she goes, excited to explore the new world, and the cycle of hell begins anew.

Now, like clockwork, it’s time for him to play his part. “You know, you could always go back-“

“Stop it.”

_Uh oh._ She’s crying now, shaking a little. This is new. His heart pangs a little bit for the girl.

With a sigh, he sits down next to her with a thump, legs crossed and _bored_. Awkwardly, he puts a hand on her back and strokes a bit. “I can see you’re a little at war with yourself here,” he muses.

She sniffles into the grass, not saying anything. Then he gets the most wonderful idea he’s had all day. “Are you hungry?” he says excitedly.

She looks up at him, nose running and eyes puffy. She nods sheepishly. “We still have the food in the basket…”

_God, she’s such a kid._

“Forget the basket! I know a place we can go for the greatest breakfast of your life! Your first-ever restaurant experience in Exogol courtesy of your good old friend-“

“Don’t push it,” she warns.

He sighs. “Well? Yes or no.”

She looks at her chameleon, who Kylo now knows to be named BB-8, and the little guy shrugs. “I guess you’re right, BB-8. No harm in getting a little something to eat.”

“I agree with the reptile! Let's go!” He hauls her up, BB-8 clinging on, and links arms with her as they walk in the direction of the Snuggly Duckling.

_This will make her want to run home to grandpa for sure,_ he thinks excitedly.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Palpatine stirs under his silk sheets. It’s only been one night and already he feels his body ageing and decaying. He has to use his lightning more sparingly and be kinder to the child so she doesn’t prove herself to be even more of a headache than she already is. With age, she grows harder to control.

He puts on his morning robe and opens the door to his chambers. 

When he does, his eyes widen. Rey is not in her loft bed.

“Flower?” he calls.

No answer.

“ _Rey.”_

Nothing.

The rage fills him faster than he thought it would. He hastens down the stairs and looks in every hiding place he’s ever found her in. He throws open the window shudders and sees two pairs of tracks going away from the tower. 

All he can see is lighting.

In his fit of rage, he trashes the main room of the tower. _She disobeyed him. She left._ He didn’t think it was possible. He didn’t think she had it in her, but clearly she had an accomplice. They will pay.

His eye twitches as something shines into it, and he looks over at a loose painted tile on the floor. He bends over, back aching, and lifts it to find a bag, a men’s satchel to be exact. Inside is a tiara, _Rey’s lost tiara_ , and a wanted poster for none other than _Kylo Ren._ He curses. 

They have already found each other. The prophecy has begun.

He must act quickly to get his flower back.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Rey jumps at the sound of lightning in the distance. Her heartbeat quickens and her eyes go wide in fear. “He knows, Kylo, he knows!”

“Come on,” he beckons. He would never admit it, but a chill ran down his spine as well at the sound of the sky cracking into pieces. They’re almost at the pub so he picks up the pace a bit.

Once they reach the shabby exterior, broken rubber-duck sign out front and all, Rey has calmed down a little. He assured her that there’s no way her grandfather would know where to look for them and that Kylo knows this forest like the back of his hand should anything happen.

They open the doors to the Snuggly Duckling and Rey looks like she’s going to pass out. He brought her to the very epicentre of no good and crime, it seems.

Dirty, scruffy-looking men and women with hooks for hands and stubs for feet fill the room. Smoke wafts in the air followed by a thick smell of sweat and ale flows steadily at only 8 am. Just being inside the humid pub makes Rey feel gross and grimy. She moves to turn around and Kylo’s annoyingly huge body blocks her path.

“Too late now, remember?” He jokes with that sly smirk she wants to smack right off of his face.

“Kylo Ren!” yells a man’s voice from the back of the bar. Rey watches as a dashing young man maybe a few years younger than Kylo comes over to them, grinning ear to ear.He has beautiful olive skin and perfectly combed-over brown locks. He wears a cream white shirt with a wide neckline exposing the top of his muscular chest and a form-fitting leather jacket similar to Kylo’s. “Good to see you, buddy!”

“Poe Dameron,” Kylo smiles and slaps his friend in the back. 

“Who’s this fine bird you have with you? And her uh, lizard…thing?” 

Rey blinks. BB-8 sticks his tongue out at him. It takes her a moment for her to realize she’s the bird in question. She nervously begins to scoop up her hair off the ground, careful to not let any of these thugs touch it as the three of them begin to move through the bar. “My name is Rey, this is BB-8,” she says in a small voice.

“We’re here for some breakfast before heading back out,” Ren explains. He begins untying his cloak and folds it neatly in his arm, his body so damn _wide_ that Rey can’t scurry past him and right back out the door.

Poe frowns. “You’re not staying? I thought you would be laying low after your last job,” he leans closer to his friend and nudges him with a wink, “you know, celebrate a bit.” 

“No way,” Kylo replies. “I owe too many of these fools money.” Poe laughs in return.

Rey’s ears turn red in embarrassment. This was a bad idea. The whole bar is silent and everyone’s eyes are on them. No doubt Kylo brought her here for her to chicken out and run home.

“How did that go by the way? Did you get it?” Poe asks, curiously.

“Oh, he got it all right,” growls another voice. 

They all turn around to see Mitaka walking out of the shadows, a grim look on his face. “You left me, _Ren.”_

Rey turns to Kylo. “Who’s that?”

Kylo puts his cloak and the basket on the bar. “Stay with Poe, blondie,” he grabs a lock of her golden hair and holds it in front of her face, “he won’t hurt you.” Rey assumes the gesture means his friend Poe won’t try to cut her hair off when her backs turned.

He turns to face the angered man, “Mitaka, please.” Kylo walks across the bar and hands Mitaka one of the pints Poe handed him as they start talking in hushed tones. He didn’t even need to ask Poe, it's almost like this has happened _many_ times before and Poe already knew what to do. 

Mitaka seems more like Rey's age, maybe even a little younger, and his face is as red as a tomato in his rage.

It occurs to her then that she didn’t get mad at Kylo for calling her blondie or touching her hair. She grunts in her frustration and turns back around to Poe, sitting at the bar and putting her head in her heads. 

“So Rey, what’ll it be for you guys? Do you like eggs and bacon?” Poe asks with a genuine smile.

BB-8 squeaks with glee when he finds a slab of meet cluttered with flies at the other end of the filthy bar. He’s found his breakfast, although it’s kind of gross. She nods shyly at Poe and keeps looking over her shoulder at Kylo and the rest of the bar’s inhabitants. All eyes have drifted to the two men now and conversations have started to pick back up, easing her anxiety. She sighs with relief.

“I haven’t seen you around, Rey. Are you from out of town?”

“You could say that,” she offers. “Are you a thief, too?”

Poe chuckles loudly. “We all are, sweetheart. But don’t worry, you’re safe at the Snuggly Duckling. I’ll keep an eye on ya, and your lizard.”

He passes a plate over to her with two eggs, sunny side up, and a curved piece of bacon making a smiley face on her plate. “He’s a chameleon,” she explains, “and it looks delicious Poe, thank you.”

“Oh, sorry! I’ve never seen one before. I kinda like him,” Poe muses, and he rubs BB-8’s full, fly filled belly. The little chameleon's eyes glaze over in bliss. Rey smiles, completely forgetting about her grandfather and her hair.

Mitaka storms out of the pub not long after. Kylo comes up next to her as she’s almost done her breakfast. “How do you feel? Wanna go home?” he asks.

She swallows her mouth full of bacon. “Much better actually, and not a chance. What was that about?”

He groans. “He was with me yesterday before, _you know,”_ he keeps his voice low. 

Poe laughs. “I hear your pal Hux wound up in a cell, at least that Mitaka kid got away.”

“Hux is _not_ my pal,” Kylo stresses.

Rey has to admit, she feels safe with Poe and Kylo here. It's ridiculous because just yesterday she would’ve never in a million years imagine herself here, trusting two complete strangers, but a part of her deep down tells her she should’ve been here a long time ago.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Finn wishes for just one moment that Rose would stop acting like she’s better than him. The further they ride into the Thieves Forest, the more Rose thinks her way is the only way and his way is nothing more than a foolish errand. Regardless, he tries his best to be civil with her, despite his infinite annoyance. The sooner this mission is over and he gets his promotion, the better. Then they can go their separate ways and can be rid of her for eternity.

“This is the edge of the Thieves Forest that he was familiar with. We had our altercation here,” he gestures to the clearing with the two arrows still nested in Ren’s wanted poster, “and then he… got away.”

“Well, yeah, no wonder he got away, you shot the wrong face,” Rose scoffs.

Finn purses his lips together with restraint. “He went in this direction towards the cliff, and you can tell by the way he was riding he didn’t know where he was going.”

“I think predicting where he could’ve gone is a waste of time. We should interrogate the hot pockets of criminals in this area for information on his whereabouts,” she counters.

“Rose, I really think-“

“Excuse me, guards?” comes a little voice from under their horses. 

Finn tugs his horse's reins a bit so he can see who’s talking. Its a short, dark-haired man with wide eyes and a tight-set jaw. “Yes?”

“I heard you were looking for Kylo Ren?”

Rose squints her eyes, “Are you not the thief Mitaka? Accomplice to Ren?”

Finn blanks. He should’ve known that.

“For my freedom, I will exchange with you Ren’s current whereabouts,” the boy says, chin high.

Before Finn can say anything about it being a long shot and they can’t seriously trust a wanted criminal and accomplice of Ren himself, Rose answers for him. “Deal. Lead the way.”

_~_ ✽ _~_

“So where are you headed now?” Poe asks.

Kylo looks at Rey as if for approval. “We’re going to see the floating lanterns. It's my dream,” she explains.

Poe raises his eyebrows with a smile. “You know what? That ain’t a bad dream.”

“Do you have a dream?” Rey asks curiously.

“Back when Kylo here and I were kids together, my dream used to be becoming the most successful and famous bandit in all of Exogol. I wanted to be rich beyond belief. But when I grew up a bit, I realized I loved to cook. Don’t get me wrong, I could probably out-steal this guy here,” Kylo rolls his eyes in amusement, “but I really love this pub I built for outcasts like us. It's a little shabby, but it's _my_ dream.”

A little shabby is an understatement, but Rey smiles nonetheless. Even a blind man can see how much Poe loves this place.

A big beefy woman standing next to Kylo at the bar looks at him dead in the eye. “What's your dream, pretty boy?”

“To be rich, maybe have my own island, and be the most handsome man on it,” he says very quickly with his usual hint of wit. He winks at her, ever the charmer.

The woman spits in his ale glass. “Your dream sucks.” Rey laughs, as does BB-8 and Poe.

The door to the pub slams open. Kylo whirls his head around to see none other than his friend Finnegan enter the room, followed by Mitaka, who is now officially also a weasel, and another guard. 

“Who’s that?” Rey asks innocently.

“They don’t like me. Poe, tunnel,” Kylo whisper-yells. Poe’s eyes widen and ushers them both around to the back of the bar. Rey grabs BB-8, who was napping away his food coma on the bar and tosses him on her shoulder.

“We have received intel that the thief Kylo Ren has been spotted at this establishment,” calls Finnegan. 

“Anybody who knows his current whereabouts or recent movements is required by order of the crown to step forward immediately,” calls the woman with him, stern and sure.

Poe quickly pulls a handle behind the bar, silently opening a hatch door. “I’ll meet you around back to make sure you made it,” he says.

“Thank you, Poe,” Kylo says.

“Yes, thank you,” Rey adds, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She’s not quite sure why, but it felt like the right thing to do. He was especially nice to her and BB-8, after all. The little chameleon salutes him from her shoulder. 

When she looks back at Kylo, his expression has darkened considerably.

Poe smiles that signature smile of his anyway. Something tells Rey that no matter what the situation, Poe seems like the person to always find a reason to smile. 

“Go get your dream, Rey.”

_~_ ✽ _~_

Mitaka stands at the doorway of the pub, greedy to see Ren’s arrest when an old, decaying hand grabs his arm. “Excuse me, young man,” says the old man, trying to get his attention.

He rudely shakes the man off. “I’m busy, beat it.”

Palpatine chuckles menacingly. “What if I told you you could have all the riches in the world, more than just a crown, _and_ revenge on that pitiful Kylo Ren?”

Mitaka faces the cloaked, grotesque man. “I’m listening.”

He is met with a flash of disgusting grey teeth and piercingly hollow eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I reference John Mulaney in this chapter? Absolutely.   
> Will I probably do it again? I'll sure try ;)
> 
> Everything is falling into place ;)
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyloreyx1  
> Tumblr: https://kyloreyx.tumblr.com


	4. her hair glows, part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archive warnings at the end!

The door silently shuts behind them. Kylo reaches to the torch Poe always keeps lit by the entrance and grabs Rey’s arm, pulling her down the long tunnel with haste, putting as much distance between them and the guards as possible.

“Do you, erm… need help with your hair?”

She looks up, surprised he offered and hands him the end bunch of her hair. “Thank you. Do you still want to get rid of me?”

He chuckles. “Let's shake those guards first and then I’ll think about it.” He takes pleasure in the smile she returns to him.

The cobblestone tunnel they’re walking down smells even worse than the pub. The air is thick and wet, moss and mould growing out of the ceiling as water drips down onto their heads and rats skitter past their feet. Rey, of course, doesn’t mind, she thinks they’re actually kind of cute, unlike BB-8 who is hiding behind a big strand of her hair. And wait, are those _bones?_

A little shy now, Rey tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “So… where are you from, Kylo?”

“Woah, Woah, Woah, blondie, I don’t do backstories. Although I’m very interested to know more about you.”

Rey blinks at him in the torchlight. “What about me?” The soft, flickering glow of the torch illuminates his profile.

“The hair, the tower, the crazy lightning warlock grandfather guy, the fear of bandits, you know, _that stuff_.”

“Nope! The deal is a backstory for a backstory, thief,” she replies, a grin spreading ear to ear knowing she’s annoyed him. He looks at BB-8 and the chameleon is already crossing his arms and shaking his head, stern as ever.

He sighs in response. “If you think I’m going to ask about your lore, frog, prepare to be disappointed.” He’s not surprised when BB-8 squeaks at him with a shaking fist. This little guy has some anger issues.

“I’m quite fond of Poe,” she thinks aloud, trying to change the subject. “He seems like a good friend to you.” The little chameleon smiles and nods in agreement, already forgetting about Kylo’s snide remark.

He wasn’t expecting how much that statement would pain him. She likes Poe _how?_ In what way? It makes sense, Poe has gotten any women he’s ever wanted, he always has since they were kids. It’s never bothered Kylo until now; it fills him with a strange sense of…jealously.

“Have I said something wrong?” she asks innocently, noticing his shift in mood. 

He gives her a stern, reserved look. “No, you can like him if you want.”

She stops in her tracks and looks at him quizzically. “Why did you say it like that?”

Then he hears it. A rumbling sound coming from the direction of the pub. “Uh, blondie?”

“No, Kylo, what did you mean by that?”

“ _Rey-“_

_“_ You’re the one who introduced him to me!”

“REY!”

He grabs her hand starts sprinting to the light at the end of the tunnel, torch left forgotten on the ground. The guards are hot on their trail, and from what he can hear, the horses are with them too. Thank God Rey has picked up on what was going on or they would’ve been dead meat. Now they’re running for their lives, leaping over bones and rocks littering the ground, arms full of her long blonde hair.

They sprint until they reach the outdoor quarry under the cloudy sky. There’s a large old water mill to their right and a dingy little ladder at their feet. After his eyes adjust to the sudden light, Kylo stops and looks over another cliff with no trees at the bottom to break his fall this time. If they tried racing down the ladder, they’d only just end up like Hux during the heist at the wrong end of a cut rope. “Another damn cliff,” he curses.

They whiz around to see the guards from the pub dismounting their horses at the base of the tunnel.

“Told you we’d find him my way,” the female guard mocks. Finn groans.

“Finnegan, my friend! See you got yourself a lady friend. Well done, you looked quite tense yesterday,” Kylo beams. 

Rey’s shocked at how quickly he can flip a switch to try and talk his way out of a tricky situation.

The woman scoffs. “I am _not_ his lady friend. I am Rose Tico, sister to Paige Tico, Captain of the Royal Guard-“

“She’s lovely, you should keep her,” Kylo winks.

Finn unsheathes his sword and points it in their direction, “Cut it out, _Ren.”_

Feeling a little left out, Rey does what feels right to her at that moment. “Hi! I’m Rey, this is BB-8,” she smiles and waves at them. BB-8 puts his hands on his hips, puffing his little chest, attempting to make a show of himself.

Finn lowers his sword and quirks an eyebrow. “Who- what?” He clears his throat and refocuses on the task at hand. “Kylo Ren, by order of their majesties of Exogol, you are hereby arrested for the theft of her royal highness’ crown jewels-“

“ _You stole a princess’ tiara?!”_ Rey yells at him. She never actually looked _inside_ of his bag before she hid it. She had no idea what he was hiding, and now she’s a little embarrassed.

Finn continues, “impersonation of an officer in his majesty’s army, highway robbery and petty theft, arson-“

“Oh no, that wasn’t me. That was all Poe,” Kylo clarifies and winks at Rey, “he has a natural talent for setting convenient fires.”

She’s at an absolute loss for words.

“Would you _just let me finish_!” Finn whines. He worked so hard memorizing all of his charges before they left this morning, its the least they could do to at least _listen_. It wasn’t easy! “You’re also being arrested for forgery, tax fraud, and lastly, this one’s the kicker Rose, _impersonating a man of the church.”_

All Kylo can do is snicker. _Ah, good times._

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this,” Rey scolds. 

He wants to swear at the sky and stars for how bad this day is turning out to be. “You never asked! _Frying pan!_ ”

She fumbles for her sash and tries to remove her frying pan from it, but the fabric is clumping together and getting stuck. The guards advance at them in a fighting stance.

“REY! KYLO!”

Poe comes running down the tunnel, swords in hand. He tosses one to Kylo in the nick of time.

Kylo and Finn instantly begin a hair-raising sword fight, shouting clever mockeries at each other, as men do when they sword fight. Or at least as Rey thinks, that’s how the men fight in her books.

Rose comes toward her, sword in hand. Right in the nick of time, Rey blocks Rose’s offensive strike with the frying pan and swings it in the other woman’s direction. Rose leaps back and parries, narrowly missing Rey’s hair. Rey advances a second time, this time getting a lucky shot at Rose’s arm. She cries out in frustration.

It’s Poe’s turn to attack and begins to battle Rose in Rey’s place.

With the precious seconds Poe has afforded her, Rey looks around the quarry for anything she can do to get them out of there before something seriously bad happens.

_“Argh!!”_

Rey’s heart stops in her chest. Finn has nicked Kylo in the arm and disarmed him of his blade. He moves to come down upon him, both blades now in his hand.

“Kylo!” Rey calls, chucking her frying pan at him. He grabs it in time and blocks Finn’s advancement despite his arm’s protests.

“You’re going to have to do a lot better if you think you’re going to get me down, _Finnegan!”_ Kylo mocks.

_“Stop! Calling! Me! That!”_ Yells Finn in between each thrust of his blades.

As they struggle, Finn tilts his head. “I never thought I’d fight someone with a frying pan.”

“Oh, they pack quite a punch!” declares Kylo as he finally hits his mark. He swings up and bangs Finn right on the head, sending him flying backwards,momentarily unconscious. He instantly moves to help Poe fend off against Rose, who isn’t going down as easily as her companion. 

BB-8 tugs Rey’s hair and points to a long water shaft above. Without a moment's hesitation, she whips her hair onto it and swings across the ravine below. Once she makes it safely to the ledge on the other side, she tugs assuringly at her hair to make sure it's still snug and hasn’t come undone. Droplets of rain start to kiss her cheeks and a wave of thunder rumbles above.

Almost as if he sensed her urgency, Kylo turns around and locks eyes with her and makes a daring charge for the ledge. Rey shoves her long strands in his direction, and he makes yet another leap of faith off of a cliff running from royal guards. He gets lucky and catches it right in the nick of time, dodging Rose’s blade. He makes a mental note that this really shouldn’t become a habit, because that’s two days in a row now that he’s swung around like a monkey.

Rose screams after him.

When he makes it to the other side, he collapses right into Rey’s arms, sending them both flying backwards onto the hard rocky surface with a thud. He catches his fall somewhat to keep from crushing her altogether, but she still bangs her head rather hard on the hard surface.

Poe hoots and hollers from the other side and sprints back into the tunnel towards the pub before Rose comes after him.

Finn gets up, groaning and clutching his head. He turns around and makes to go after Poe but Rose stops him in place. “Forget him, get _them!_ They must have the crown!”

For once agreeing with Rose on something, he switches direction and moves toward his horse to grab his crossbow as she moves towards a large pillar holding up the dam above and starts hacking away at it.

Groaning from the pain and rubbing her head, Rey slowly rises up from the ground, clutching onto Kylo’s shoulders for support. “Are you okay?” He asks, eyes wide. She’s too stunned by his sudden gentleness to respond.

An arrow flies past them followed by Rose shrieking. “How do you have such terrible aim, Finn? I thought you were top of your class!”

“I’m not _perfect_ , Rose! He just whipped me in the head with a frying pan!”

Kylo hauls Rey up and checks for BB-8. He’s okay, still strapped into Rey’s neck with a piece of her hair. Once she has collected herself, Rey tugs aggressively for her hair to come undone around the water shaft, arrows flying around them. When her hair finally comes free, the rickety old thing comes undone, tumbling down towards them with a loud screech. At the same time, Rose finally cuts through the pillar and the dam begins to collapse. Kylo and Rey sprint in the opposite direction, hopping onto the part of the water shaft level with them and sliding down its watery surface before it breaks under their feet. Lightning crashes above them and a downpour begins as they run. Rey’s hair is flying in the wind and Kylo is hot on her tail. Behind them, the sounds of a _lot_ of water crashing onto the rocks and Finn and Rose’s screams can be heard.

When they reach the bottom of the quarry, they continue to sprint towards another tunnel on the other side as a long pillar of rock slowly leans over above them, about to crash onto the ground. Rey screams as she tries to pick up as much hair as she can, Kylo scrambling to grab whatever she can’t.

They make it in the nick of time, but the large rock closes them in completely. Water seeps through the cracks around the tunnel’s frame and they run deeper inside.

To their dismay, they meet a dead end.

In desperation, straining their eyes in the darkness, they try to look for any loose rock, any possible exit. Rey shoves into the sturdy rock, looking for any loose spot. Kylo starts banging on the wall with Rey’s frying pan but winces in pain from his arm.

“Are you okay?” She lunges towards him, the water already past her knees.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he assures her. Defeat washes over him and he hands her the frying pan.

She straps it to her waist. Determined to make it out alive, Rey places BB-8 on Kylo’s shoulder and takes a deep breath. She dunks her head under the water for the first time, and her vision is helplessly clouded. She feels him pull her out from under, back to air, into his arms. She begins to shiver.

“Rey there’s no use, you can’t swim and we can’t see, it’s too dark in here. We’re trapped.”

Mouth open, she looks from Kylo to BB-8. Tears well up in her eyes. “This is all my fault…” she says to no one in particular. “If only I had listened to grandfather and stayed in the tower-“

“No. He kept you locked up and he _hurt_ you. You did the right thing by leaving,” he tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. It’s a strange feeling, to be held. No one has ever held her like this before unless it was accompanied by a gaze of hunger and possession. But when she looks into Kylo’s eyes, she sees none of that. She sees an honest man who cares. In this moment, in their soon-to-be watery grave, she wishes she could’ve had more time with him.

Rey looks at both of Kylo and BB-8’s pained faces, trying to memorize every detail, every birth mark, every scale, before the water takes them all. She tries to memorize the faces of her only two friends in the world.

Overwhelmed, she throws her arms around Kylo’s neck and nuzzles her nose into his shoulder with a sob. He goes stiff, he wasn’t expecting her to do that. “I’m so sorry, Kylo. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.” One of his hands is still on the small of her back, and after a beat of hesitation, his other hand finds its way to the back of her neck, fingers threading through her hair. He closes his eyes and rests his chin on her head. BB-8 puts a consoling hand on her arm, tears welling up in his little eyes too.

“Ben Solo.”

Still fighting back tears, she moves to look at him, their faces a few inches away from each other. The water has risen to just below her breast now. “What?”

“Kylo Ren isn’t my real name, I was born Ben Solo. I was an orphan, and so was Poe. We were from the same orphanage,” he explains solemnly. His eyes trail down to her lips. “At least someone should know, and you don’t seem half bad after all. You’re stubborn and annoying, but not half bad.”

She sniffles and shares in his sad smile, grateful that he chose to confide in her in their final moments. She decides to do the same. “Grandfather kept me locked in the tower because I have magic hair that glows when I sing.”

Ben blinks at her in confusion. He’s going to die with a crazy person.

Her eyes widen as the water reaches their chin, realizing what she should’ve done ages ago. BB-8 squeaks at her in a fit of rage, mad at himself for not thinking of it sooner!

“Flower gleam and glow! Let your power shine!” Are the only lines of the incantation Rey can get through before they’re completely robbed of oxygen and sent underwater. She reaches blindly for BB-8 and finds his wiggling little body in her grasp.

Under the water, Ben nearly gasps away his oxygen as, sure enough, every inch of her hair begins to glow golden and true. Her hair pulls towards a loose rock, a crack in the cave, and they both scramble to move it as the light grows dim.

_~_ ✽ _~_

The jailbreak was successful. Hux was able to escape from those useless guards and make his way back into the Thieves Forest all on his own. All he had to do was pick the lock on the carriage they placed him in and slide out as if nothing happened.

Now, he stands with Mitaka in the rain before an ugly old man somewhere behind the Snuggly Duckling.

“There is a girl who’s hair can grant eternal life,” the old crone explains.

Hux scoffs. “An old wives tale. Prove to us this is worth our while.”

Palpatine sighs and tosses them the lost princess’s crown tiara as if it was nothing. It lands at Mitaka’s feet and Hux shoves him aside to pick it up and get a better look. Once they both realize it is, in fact, the tiara that already escaped them once before, they look to the old man.

“All right,” says Hux, “we’re in.”

_~_ ✽ _~_

Poe had just reached the river when Rey and Ben come catapulting out of it. They crash into the water and come up for air, gasping.

“We did it!” Rey smiles and throws her fists in the hair, BB-8 still in her left hand, before eventually forgetting she has no idea how to swim and the weight of her hair pulls them both back under. Poe laughs as Ben dives down to fish them out and onto the riverbank.

“You both made it, I can’t believe it! I was so worried about you. Where’s my favourite chameleon?” laughs Poe.

“We’re alive,” Rey declares with glee as her and BB-8 march up and away from the water. BB-8 is cheering and practically leaping towards Poe for a victory hug.

Ben, however, flips over onto his back, in no hurry to get up from the riverside, eyes wide and facing the sunset. “Uh, Poe? Her hair glows.”

Poe’s jaw drops. “Her hair glows?

_“Her hair glows.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all read "hEr HaIr GlOwS?" in the same voice he says "tHeY fLy NoW?" in TROS! And I couldn't help myself but throw that Pirates of the Caribbean reference in there during Kylo's charges ;)
> 
> If you're a fan of the show, Poe is my version of Lance Strongbow! I absolutely love the character of Lance and while I understand why he wasn't in the movie, I totally still wish he was around for when Raps and Eugene first meet.
> 
> Finn, I suppose, is the Maximus of the story? Even though Rose acts more like Max in the long run. I thought about making a Maximus character after R2D2 or C3P0 but it just felt a little ridiculous.
> 
> Archive Warnings:  
> \- They walk through a dark, damp tunnel at the beginning of the chapter where they see what could be human bones.  
> \- Finn reads all of Kylo's charges which include: stealing the crown, impersonation of an officer in his majesty’s army, highway robbery, petty theft, forgery, tax fraud, and impersonating a man of the church. None of them are explained in detail, but if any of these are triggering for you to read, this section begins at the paragraph starting in "Finn lowers his sword" and ends at the paragraph starting in "All Kylo can do is snicker."  
> \- Arson is mentioned in the above section, but no one was harmed and the situation involving the arson is not explained.  
> \- In the swordfight, Kylo is mildly harmed.  
> \- They **almost** drown and are in a very cramped space. 
> 
> Well, that's all for me today! I'll try to post another installment tomorrow.
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyloreyx1  
> Tumblr: https://kyloreyx.tumblr.com


	5. her hair glows, part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice that chapter count go up by one ;)   
> Also in terms of my update schedule, I'm not going to be posting again this week as I'll be away from my laptop for the weekend. Thank you for all the support guys! I'm hoping the next chapter will be fully polished and ready for you by Monday at the earliest. 
> 
> Archive warnings in the endnotes!

The campfire’s embers rise in the air as they finish their meal of roasted fish. When the rain eventually subsided, Poe whipped out Rey’s basket that she left behind in the pub amidst her and Ben’s escape. He fully stocked it with enough food to last them until they get to Exogol. Since Poe is now a wanted man himself for helping Rey and Ben escape, he has no choice but to come along. They all don’t mind, he’s proven himself is a welcome addition to their little team.

All throughout the meal, Poe asks Rey about her hair. She keeps dodging the questions, shy and wary after a lifetime of warnings, so eventually he surrenders, trusting her to tell him in her own time. 

Ben, on the other hand, is completely silent and his mind is somewhere else entirely. He keeps reliving the moment he saw her hair light up underwater over and over in his head. Why does her hair glow? _How_ does her hair glow?

“So, you told her about the orphanage, huh? Ben, you blew our cover!” calls Poe, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He shrugs. “I thought I was going to die,” he explains.

“I promise not to tell a soul,” Rey smiles, seated on a log by the fire next to Ben as they finish off their fish.

Poe stands up, stretching his back. “I trust you sweetheart, its BB-8 I’m worried about,” he jokes. The little chameleon turns red and squeaks at him in response. Poe laughs and picks him up, placing him on his shoulder. “I’m only joking! Come on buddy, let’s go find more dry wood for the fire.” Satisfied with the apology and excited to spend more time with his new friend, BB-8 nods his head.

They wave goodbye and they tread off into the forest, leaving Rey and Ben with an awkward cloud over their head. The fire cracks and crickets chirp contently around them.

Rey decides to break the silence. “Considering we almost drowned today, I think we owe each other those backstories now, _Ben Solo,”_ he nods with a sheepish smile in agreement. “Why go by Kylo Ren?” she asks.

He chuckles. “I don’t think the name Ben Solo instills enough fear in the hearts of men to be a good enough thief’s name,” he explains. She looks at him with a quirked eyebrow, not believing his story. “Fine, fine. There was a storybook at the orphanage that Poe and I loved - _Kylo and the Knights of Ren_. They were swashbuckling rogues that lived off the land and stole whatever they could. They were filthy rich, not bad with the ladies and… they didn’t need anyone. They had each other. You can see why it would be appealing to two orphans without much going for them.”

It’s a sad story, to be sure. Rey doesn’t like the image in her head of young Ben and Poe in some creepy old orphanage, but she does like the fact that they’re both dreamers. It's nice, in a weird way, that they shared a dream since childhood and chose to live it, even if for a little while in Poe’s case, and even if it was really, _really_ illegal. She can understand how overpowering a dream can be all too well.

She puts a hand on his arm, meaning to console him, but he winces. She completely forgot about his cut from their battle with Finn and Rose. The bleeding has stopped now, but it is still tender and stings a bit when he moves. His old friend Finnegan got him a little too good. “I’ll be fine, blondie.”

“May I?”

He nods, never taking his eyes off of her as she wraps her hair around the cut gently. What is she doing?

As he watches her, he thinks about what happened in the cave. The way they held each other, the foreign warm feeling in his gut that he has only ever gotten around her. This girl was trouble, and if today was proof of anything it was proof of that. He’s starting to realize that deep down he kind of likes it. She doesn’t see him the way other women he’s been with do, she sees him as more than just a charming bandit with a cheeky smile. Especially now that she knows of his humblest beginnings. She sees him as Ben, and it's refreshing. 

He feels a pang in his heart. She makes him want to stay instead of ditching her for the crown. It might be more terrifying than almost drowning in a cave.

“Please don’t freak out,” she warns.

Then she closes her eyes and begins to sing the incantation. As her hair begins to glow around his arm, he realizes he’s heard this song before. He heard it in his dreams as she sang it to her grandfather the other night and he was cramped in her little green closet. Her voice is like silk, and he’s mesmerized by it as he watches her.

It’s freaky, that’s for sure, but it feels so warm and inviting on his cut that he doesn’t mind. The pain subsided almost instantly when the light reached it from her scalp.

When she’s finished singing, she unwraps the hair from his arm and the cut is completely healed. There’s no scar or any trace of it once being there. His eyes widen in shock. “How… long have you been able to do that,” he asks.

“Forever, I suppose. It’s why I thought you wanted to kidnap me,” she explains. “Grandfather said there were evil people that would try to cut my hair for its power. But when it’s cut, it turns brown and loses its power,” she pulls her hair back and sure enough, right at the nape of her neck is a tiny strand of brown. “Once they realized they couldn’t take a small piece for themselves, someone tried to kidnap me altogether. That… was the night my parents died.” 

Ben holds her hand, rubbing it reassuringly with his thumb and lets her continue, listening intently. He doesn’t know why he does it, and he doesn’t know how to console her, but it just feels right. 

“Grandfather saved me the night they died and brought me far away to the tower where I could be safe, away from the world. That’s why…” She musters her courage to choke out the last words. “That's why I never left.”

It all makes sense now. Her fear when she entered the Snuggly Duckling wasn’t just because of the atmosphere, but because what she’s been raised to fear everything outside of her tower her whole life. It’s _horrible_. 

“I’m sorry about your parents. I wish I could’ve met mine, too,” he confesses. “Rey, you can’t go back. He’s going to keep hurting you if you do.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” A weak smile grows on her face, intent on lightening the mood a bit. “I’ve always dreamt of my parents and what they would be like. Every night on my birthday, when the lanterns fill the night sky, it reminds me of them.” 

She’s grateful she has someone she can confide in about this. Grandfather forced her to keep her parents bottled up as if they had never existed, she was never allowed to talk about them. Of course she also had BB-8 to talk to, but she was always so overcome with emotion whenever she had tried to talk about it with him that she gave up a long time ago. Now, it feels different.

“My whole life I’ve felt so alone.”

“You’re not alone,” he assures.

“Neither are you.”

He can’t help but ask. “Rey, how old are you?”

“I’ll be eighteen in two days' time.”

His heart sinks down to his gut. _That’s a ten year age difference. She’s still a kid._

“I’m 28,” he warns.

She blinks up at him. “So?”

_Jesus Christ._ He’s going to have to teach her a thing or two about the world now that she’s out of the tower. You’d think her grandfather would warn her about dating older men and strangers, but he probably never thought she’d get that far.

Before he can begin his lecture, she cuts him off. “Can I call you Ben now?”

He sighs. “Sure, blondie. It beats ruffian or thief any day.”

She laughs in the firelight and he can’t look away. She has a beautiful laugh, and he likes being the reason he gets to hear it.

A different kind of silence falls under them, and they both become extra aware of his hand on hers and how close they’re sitting to each other. 

Rey knows what she wants to do. She can’t deny the pull she feels to him any longer.

She kisses him.

He’s surprised by her making the first move, but then again, she is Rey and stubborn as hell. It reminds him of how she threw her arms around him in the cave without warning.

It's a sweet, innocent kiss. Her lips are soft on his as he breathes her in. She smells of the crisp river and flowers and it's all so intoxicating. He should stop, this isn’t right, but as her hand finds its way to his cheek as he can’t help but grab her hip and pull her in closer to him, deepening the kiss.

Rey, for the record, has absolutely no idea what she’s doing. She’s doing her absolute best to mimic Ben’s movements, and the rest is just instinct. Her heart feels like it's going to leap out of her chest. She can’t believe what she’s doing, it’s her first-ever kiss.

“I like kissing you,” she murmurs into his mouth. His cock betrays him with a twitch when she smiles against his lips.

_He can’t do this._

He gets up abruptly and walks away from her, leaving her there on the log. “Ben, where are you going?”

“This isn’t right Rey, you’re too young and we only met yesterday.”

Her heart sinks, despaired. “I don’t care,” she counters.

A million thoughts fly through his mind, the million reasons why they shouldn’t continue and how _wrong_ this all is. The worst part is the broken-hearted look on her face. He’s dumped girls before without so much as a second thought, but Rey’s making him feel terrible. 

_It was her first kiss_ , he realizes. And she had kissed him all on her own. She must’ve been so sure in that moment for her to do something like that.

He wants to go back to her, pull her into his arms and kiss a thousand apologies into her golden hair. He wants to make things right, but he can’t. The damage is done, and he’s so ashamed of himself.

Poe clears his throat, breaking the mood, BB-8 still on his shoulder. He tosses an armful of new firewood onto the pile and pokes at it with his sword. He makes the wise decision not to crack a joke to lighten the mood after one look in Rey’s direction. The kid looks like she just saw a ghost.

The interruption sends Rey over the edge and she runs into the surrounding forest. They all let her, watching her go with her hair trailing behind her, knowing she needs time alone.

She runs into a thicket away from their makeshift camp. She thinks to cry but nothing comes out, so she just crouches down on her heels and puts her head in her hands, collecting her thoughts. 

How could she be so _stupid?_

He was right, they did just meet yesterday, but she can’t deny she has growing feelings for him. She wants to tell him how it scares her. She wants to tell him that even though they haven’t known each other long, it feels like she’s known him much longer. She just doesn’t know _how._

He’s right, ten years may seem like a lot, but she meant what she said. Their age difference didn’t matter to her in the slightest.

_Honesty is the best policy_ , she tells herself. She got that saying from one of her books back home and has always believed in it. She’s going to march back over there and tell him everything, and if he still doesn’t budge… Well, she doesn’t want to think about that. 

She hears a deep cackle come from the bushes. One she would recognize anywhere. She stops in her tracks, frozen in place with fear.

“A flower and a thief, what a charming match,” mocks Palpatine as he dramatically comes out from behind a tree. He always had a flair for dramatics.

“Grandfather?” She doesn’t believe her eyes. “How…how did you find me?” she asks, trembling. 

“How dare you leave? How dare you disrespect me in the highest regard after all that I’ve done for you? We’re going home, _now,”_ he says in anger.

She retrieves the frying pan from her waistband and points it directly at him. “ _No,_ grandfather, I’m going home until I see those lanterns.”

“I know what’s best for you child, and I know you better than you know yourself,” he snarls. “ _How dare you threaten and oppose your grandfather?”_

She flinches and covers her face with her arms, waiting for the lightning, but it never comes. When she looks back out at the man before her, she realizes why he hasn’t struck her yet. She hasn’t sung for him for an entire day, he’s far too weak.

“You think he loves you? He only wants _this,”_ he says with a snarl and tosses her the crown.

She picks it up and looks at herself through the reflection of the diamonds. She doesn’t recognize who she sees. “You’re wrong,” she challenges.

He laughs, even and meddling. “Yes, I do, child, and when you realize I am right, you will come right back home where you _belong_.”

When she looks back up, he’s gone. She drops the crown then the frying pan on top of it, feeling numb.

Ben and Poe run into view, swords drawn at the ready to protect her with BB-8 following suit. Rey looks at them where she stands and exhales with relief, the nightmare of her grandfather finally over.

“What happened? I could feel it, are you okay?” Ben asks, eyes wide.

Rey's eyebrows furrow in confusion. “You mean, you didn’t hear him? Or any of it?”

“No, I was at the campfire and I just felt this… _feeling._ I could tell something terrified you,” he explains.

“Seems he was right, too,” Poe chimes with concern.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Rey had no choice but to explain everything to Poe. The hair, the tower, her grandfather, all of it. She leaves out that she has the crown, though. She’s not quite ready to hand it over yet, a small voice in the back of her head warning her not to, and keeps it hidden in the basket.

“That’s heavy Rey, I’m so sorry,” Poe consoles. “But you have us now, and we’ll take you to see those lanterns.”

She smiles meekly in return, but she doesn’t want to think about what will happen after she sees the lanterns. Will they all part ways? Will Ben leave her and take the crown with him, finally getting what he wants?

Ben isn’t sure either. He needs the money from the crown and he should’ve never kissed her or gone this far, but he can’t help it. Looking at her as she stares into the campfire, still shaken by what happened, he still isn’t sure if he wants to leave her side after all. On top of that, he has no way of explaining why he gets that feeling deep inside when Rey needs him. It happened in the quarry and it happened again tonight. It’s all so confusing.

At the same time, Poe’s mind begins to put the pieces together after hearing her story. Rey looks about the same age the princess would be today. He was just a teenage boy when she went missing, no older than thirteen, and it's a crazy possibility, but she could be the lost princess. He would have to see the large mural in the old town square, to be sure… It’s been so long since he’s gone back.

Everyone bids each other goodnight, minds full of contemplation. Ben finds a spot in the grass to rest, taking off his jacket and using it as a blanket. 

Rey and BB-8 huddle together on the opposite side of the makeshift camp, piled in her hair for warmth as the campfire embers out for the night. They lay facing each other while Rey gives him a quick summary of what happened when he was gone with Poe.

The little chameleon scowls when he hears what Ben did to her.

“BB-8 don’t look at me like that,” she begs. He was never really fond of Ben, and now it’s ten times worse. “I want to tell him how I feel but… I should give it some time.”

He sighs and closes his eyes, clearly done with the conversation.

And so they lay there under the stars, Rey and Ben still milling about the day’s events in their heads, both so conflicted but still inexplicably drawn to the other as sleep takes them both.

Rey snores all night. _Loudly._

_~_ ✽ _~_

“Why don’t we just go over there and slit their throats and take the girl?” Hux complains. Mitaka nods in agreement.

The three plotters stand a ways away, watching the group as they all sleep.

Palpatine raises a hand, “All good things to those who wait, my friends.”

His despicable, menacing snarl sends tremors through poor young Mitaka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a kicker to write and I was originally going to make it all in one part, but these two little angst balls made me split it in two. 
> 
> Archive Warnings:  
> \- Kylo allows Rey to kiss him after knowing she's still a minor for another 24 hours. He eventually stops it. If this is something that is sensitive to you, the smooching begins at the line "She kisses him" and ends at "He can’t do this."
> 
> As always, I'm eager to hear your ideas and feedback <3 Have a lovely weekend everyone!
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyloreyx1  
> Tumblr: https://kyloreyx.tumblr.com


	6. an unusual team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alrighty, everyone! sorry this chapter is coming to you a few days later than promised, i wasn't feeling well and took a few days to get better.
> 
> the next chapter will be posted a week from today!
> 
> A mild Archive Warning is in the endnotes!

Ben opens his eyes groggily to the sight of Finn and Rose standing over him, swords drawn to his neck. Beyond them is a blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and he can hear birds chirping in the trees. Thinking it's just a dream, he yawns and closes his eyes again.

Rose kicks him in the shin and his eyes fly open. Nope, this is definitely not a dream.

“Finnegan, you’re alive! That’s nice.” Ben muses with a stretch and a yawn. 

Rose scoffs. “You’re under arrest, Ren. Now get up and co-operate or we will have to do this the hard way.”

“Don’t make them do it the hard way!” Calls Poe, who is unfortunately tied to a nearby tree with Rey’s hair. BB-8 is with him, his head poking out of the many layers of hair tied around his tiny body. Rey is stuck facing the opposite way on the other side of the tree, craning her neck as best she can to see what’s going on.

Ben puts his hands up in surrender, getting up slowly. Finn sheaths his sword and grabs him, pinning him aggressively against a tree with his hands behind his back.

“Wait!” Rey calls. “Don’t hurt him, I need him!”

“Silence, prisoner. Or _else,”_ Rose warns.

Panicked and desperate, she yells after them. “They don’t know where the crown is. I do,” she explains.

“Blondie, you’re making this worse for yourself,” Ben warns.

“He’s got a point,” Finn chimes. They look at each other for a split second and then nod, surprisingly agreeing on something. It almost would’ve been comedic if Finn didn’t have the intention of sending Ben to the hangman’s rope for his crimes.

“Tomorrow is my birthday,” Rose scoffs, but Rey presses on, “and I intercepted these two gentlemen so they could take me to Exogol so I can see the floating lanterns and _finally live my dream_! So no, you won’t arrest them, and you won’t get what you want either, because only I can give it to you, and you’re not getting it _until I see those lanterns!”_ she shouts at the top of her lungs. She huffs, _that was exhausting._

Ben smiles to himself fondly.

Rose can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Is this a joke?”

“Do I _look_ like I’m joking?”

Rose looks to her comrade to see he is just as shocked as she is. This mission has gotten much more elaborate than apprehending one wanted thief. She walks around the tree, past a smirking Poe and chameleon, and faces Rey, slightly impressed by the girl. If circumstances were different, Rose could actually see them being friends. 

“If we’re all going there anyway, I can’t see why it can’t be a little pleasant, right Finn? I’m tired and don’t feel like dragging three and a half prisoners back when we were only supposed to bring one. We don’t have the supplies for such a big arrest anyway.” 

BB-8 squeaks and squirms in anger by being referred to as a “half.”

Finn can’t believe the words that are coming out of her mouth. Rose, the woman who went on and on about rules and reform yesterday is now willingly bargaining with criminals? She does have a point, however. They were sorely unprepared to bring them all back in chains. He eventually nods in agreement.

She turns to Rey. “Do you swear on the crowns of their majesties of Exogol that upon the completion of the lantern ceremony tomorrow evening, you will give us the princess’s crown and surrender?”

Rey looks at her dead in the eyes. “I promise.”

Finn grips Ben a little harder. “And do you and your thug friends swear not to escape during the journey?”

Ben looks at Finn and shakes his grip on him off, massaging his wrists where he was grabbing tight, “Yeah, whatever.”

Rose unties the trio from the tree and they all stand there in the clearing, looking at each other. Its quite an unusual scene, thieves and guards working together, but it’ll work. _For now._ Ben and Poe are already going through thousands of escape scenarios in their heads.

Rey feels pretty proud of herself and winks at BB-8. It actually worked!

_She’s insane_ , Ben thinks to himself.

_~_ ✽ _~_

The group spends their day chit-chatting on their walk to Exogol, and it turns out they actually have some things in common. Ben and Rose, while at first wary of each other, end up enthusiastically sharing combat tips with each other while Rey tells Finn all the different things he can bake with whatever he has left in his pantry. BB-8, unsurprisingly, doesn’t leave Poe’s side for a while as Poe tells him about the hair-raising stunts he and Ben pulled as kids.

Much to Rose’s surprise, it was actually turning out to be a very pleasant walk. It was out of her comfort zone, for sure. Before today the only conversations she has ever had with criminals were threats and their charges. It’s… _nice?_

_“_ You gotta aim that crossbow of yours a few degrees to the left,” Poe explains to Finn as they walk through a clearing in the forest. Finn has the reins of his horse in his hand as he walks beside it, listening intently. “That model you have is famous for favouring to the right, a buddy of mine sells a bootleg modified version that shoots much better.”

“Ooooooh,” Finn nods in understanding, “I thought something was up. Thanks, Dameron.”

“Anything for a friend of Ben!” he slaps him affectionately on the back.

“Ben?”

Poe laughs and points, “Your buddy Kylo over there.”

“He’s not my buddy! Why do you all keep saying that!”

It makes Poe laugh even harder.

“So… Rose! What do you like to do in your spare time?” Rey asks, trying to make conversation. She gives her a smile as they walk through the clearing. For the past hour or so that they’ve been walking together, Rose looks like she would rather be anywhere in the world but here. Rose would never let Rey believe she was actually enjoying herself.

“Drill, polish my weapons, and drill some more, wanna see?” she offers with a smirk, reaching for the bag strapped to her horse.

“No!” Rey says quickly, which gives her a puzzled look from Rose, who shrugs it off without a second thought. If she had gone into that storage compartment, she would’ve found the lost tiara and arrest them all on the spot. At the time, with the limited options she had at her disposal, Rey thought it was a good idea. It was hidden in plain sight, and Rose had no reason to go in there as long as everyone was complying with the agreement and the boys weren’t getting any ideas.

Trying to change the subject, Rey launches into a long story about her ideal day at home (leaving out the tower part) and all the activities she does to pass the time. Rose can’t stop thinking about how bubbly this girl is, a trait not shared with any of her other friends, but it isn’t annoying enough for her to leave and talk to someone else.

BB-8 scampers over to Ben with an air of confrontation. Ben supposes this conversation was bound to happen eventually.

“Look, reptile,” Ben says to BB-8, who is glaring at him from his perch on his shoulder. “I know you still hate me. What gives?”

BB-8 crosses his arms and looks away stubbornly. Ben groans.

“You think I’m going to ditch you both the first chance I get, huh?”

BB-8 nods in agreement.

“I was going to, at first, if that helps,” Ben confesses. In return, he receives a look from the little chameleon out of the corner of his eye. Taking this opportunity and talking low enough so no one else hears, he continues, “I want her to have a good birthday, I definitely don’t want her creepy grandfather coming after her, and… I care about her, okay? I’m going to apologize to her later and make it up to her.” 

He can’t believe he’s confessing his feelings about a girl to a _lizard._

BB-8 turns around to look at Ben head-on, moved by his words. 

“We’re not that different, you and me. We both wandered into that tower, and we both want her to live her dream and be happy,” he whispers, never breaking eye contact.

The lizard sighs and crawls up Ben’s head to rest on top and take a nap in the sunlight. His hair is warm from the sun. Classifying it as a definite win, Ben doesn’t push it any further and lets him rest.

Something tells Rey to look behind her at them, and she smiles at the sight. She’s glad Ben and BB-8 are finally getting along. 

Embarrassed, Ben look away at the trees.

_~_ ✽ _~_

As sunset draws near, they reach the horizon of Exogol. Just across the water from them at the edge of a grand sea is a kingdom built on a mountain with a tall, gorgeous castle perched on top. The sun sets just behind it, and lights slowly start to pop up in the village for the night. Everybody stands at the bank of the water, taking in the sight.

“It’s beautiful,” Rey breathes. Poe smiles and puts an arm around her, giving her a little affectionate shake.

Finn quirks an eyebrow. “What? You’ve never seen the kingdom before?”

“I haven’t even seen this much water before.”

“Where are you from, Rey?” Rose asks.

Ben intercedes for her, “Nowhere important.” He turns around and stalks towards the pub they’ll be staying at with a scowl. He hasn’t told Poe about what happened between him and Rey, but he’s mad at his friend all the same for being so… touchy.

Rey doesn’t know why, but she politely shrugs off Poe’s arm and walks towards the water. An instinct, she thinks.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Rey stays by the waterfront until the sun is completely set and only a faint glow of light paints the sky around the horizon. She had seen sunsets from her tower before, but none like this. None that make her feel so _alive._ Exogol is such a beautiful kingdom and she hasn’t even been inside its walls yet.

By now, everyone has finished their dinner and gone upstairs for the night, exhausted from a long day's walk. Even BB-8 grew tired, belly full of sea flies, and scampered up to bed.

Rey’s dinner was in the form of the forgotten, stale loaf of bread she packed from the tower in her basket. Tucked underneath it lays the crown everybody seems to want so bad. She snagged it from the bag on Rose’s horse right before they got to the pub so no one would find it. The bread was the last piece of food left in the tiny wicker basket that nobody wanted to touch during the day, which she was grateful for because it mostly hid the jewels from view.

Curiously, she takes it out of the basket and studies it. The gems are beautiful hues of pink and purple, with an intricate golden vine-like band. Looking around to make sure no one can see, she leans over to look at her reflection in the water and places the crown upon her head as the princes did in her books. It’s a perfect fit, wrapping elegantly around her head.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Up above on the top floor of the pub, Poe gazes out of his window down at Rey. He knew the crown wasn’t still in her tower. A plan slowly begins to form in his head. 

“Hey handsome, are you coming?” calls the woman in his bed. 

He blows out the candle and meets his randomly-selected bedfellow in the sheets. Tomorrow, he will act.

_~_ ✽ _~_

Rey puts the tiara back into her basket safely once she’s had enough of vanity for one day.

“Rey?” Her heart skips a beat at the sound of his voice. She turns around and sure enough, there stands Ben. “I have something to say…”

“Me first,” she insists. She walks up to him, grabs his face in her hands and kisses him square on the lips. She tries her hardest to pour every doubt, every wish, every thought into it. She has to be brave and tell him exactly how she feels, but first, she’s going to _show_ him.

And suddenly, his lips move against hers and his arms wrap around her waist. _He’s kissing her back._

When they separate to look at each other, they apologize in complete unison without warning.

“Wait, why are you sorry?” He asks. 

Rey traces his cheek with her thumb, not wanting to let go. “I’m sorry I almost let you convince me that we shouldn’t be together.”

He chuckles and pecks her lips again. “I was too harsh, Rey, and I felt awful after. The truth is… I’ve never felt this way about someone before.” His cheeks go red.

“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid, I feel it too,” she reassures. 

It was the perfect way to summarize everything they both had been feeling. Standing there at the waterfront, the lights from a sleepy Exogol blooming in the distance, everything felt right again.

_~_ ✽ _~_

When they go upstairs to the rooms they booked for the night, Ben explains BB-8 insisted on staying with Rose and Finn to keep an eye on them. He doesn’t need to explain where Poe is… he’s making an awful racket down the hall in what was supposed to be his and Ben’s room. Ben should’ve known better.

They walk into Rey’s room together and she places the basket on the floor, the sounds of Poe and that woman down the hall still ringing in her ear. It leaves a heavy atmosphere for her and Ben, filled with a question left unspoken. Thank God they couldn’t hear them anymore once the door is closed.

“If you want to stay on your own, I’ll go get another room. I still have some money left,” he explains.

“No! Don’t spend your money,” she insists. She sits down next to him on the edge of the bed, heart beating in her chest. The weight of being in a bedroom alone with a man like this for the first time is riddling her with anxiety. “Ben, um… I’m still new to all of this-“ 

His eyes grow wide. “No, no, no, we don’t have to do anything at all, its okay-“

“Because I’m still a kid?”

He chuckles reluctantly, “Only for a few more hours, it _is_ your birthday tomorrow, remember.” He couldn’t help himself.

She smacks his arm playfully at his remark and they both laugh.

“Seriously though, Rey,” Ben interrupts, “I don’t mind talking with you, or just going straight to sleep. Whatever you want.”

She smiles at him, grateful that there are no expectations between them.

_~_ ✽ _~_

It’s much later in the night now and he has her laughing hysterically. He’s telling the rather outrageous story of how he and Poe managed to steal an entire royal parade’s gold from right under their noses by pretending to be priests. “No wonder Finn hates us so much, that was our best job we ever pulled off! The money had us set for months if you can believe it.”

They’re laying next to each other on the bed. Rey has her head propped up on her wrist as she looks down at the smuggler below her. He looks like a child, laughing full of glee about his adventures. It warms her heart. “I actually think they like you, Ben.”

“Those two? No way!”  
She giggles. “I disagree. You all got along just fine today.”

He shrugs in a funny way with a funnier face accompanying it. The little goofball.

She can’t resist the warm feeling that washes over her, so she brings her head down and kisses him gently. His hand immediately goes for her hair behind her neck, threading through it with his fingers. Rey has found that he especially likes playing with her hair.

“Blondie…” Ben says, but whatever he was going to say dies on his lips. They stay there in that position, looking at each other, unsure what to do next. They search each other’s eyes for something, for hesitation, for a sign, but there’s nothing of the sort. There is only the kind of longing that can be found from two souls the world never gave a chance.

Their moment is interrupted by a loud noise coming from downstairs. It’s the grandfather clock in the main room in the pub and its chiming midnight.

“Happy Birthday, Rey,” he smiles up at her.

“Kiss me,” she demands, and he obeys with gusto. She relishes in the feeling of butterflies that come with it, humming against his lips.

His other hand trails down to her side and pulls her over his body. Now straddling him on both sides, she pulls away for a brief moment. “I want to take things slowly,” she says against his lips. 

He nods and presses his forehead against hers. “Then do what you want at your own pace,” he assures.

She squeezes her eyes shut in embarrassment. “I don’t know what to do,” she confesses.

Rey has touched herself when BB-8 isn’t around and when her grandfather is out for the day, and that’s about the extent of her pleasure. She knows what feels good for her, and she’s had those dark moments where she wished for someone to do it for her. Now, laying here with Ben, a man she met only days ago that she feels like she’s known for far longer, she gets that chance. It lights a fire in her deep inside.

“Can I touch you?”

She nods, putting her trust in him.

He catches her lips in his mouth again and runs his tongue along her bottom lip. In the same swift movement, his hands move to both of her hips and pushes her down onto his hardness, letting her feel his length. She moans into his mouth, not realizing she had made the sound until after. Taking that opportunity, his tongue slides inside and she tries her best to mimic the movement. He can tell she’s trying her best, and he’s careful not to do too much at once.

He doesn’t move his hands again, waiting for her to move on her own at her own pace. When she eventually does, he nearly _growls_ , loving the feeling.

After a little while of that, he flips her over so he can be on top, mindful of her hair. He wants to please her himself, he wants her first proper experience to be with someone who cares about her.

Tucking his head in the crook of her neck, he kisses there softly, resulting in another moan coming out of her perfect lips. Taking it as a sign, he begins to lick and softly bite the sensitive skin, sending her nerves into a frenzy.

He begins to rock his hips against her and it feels so damn good. They’re both panting, chasing the blessed friction and increasing speed. She claws at his back, “Ben, more, _please.”_

His hands fly to her chest, untying her corset quickly with years of experience and palming at her breasts over the loose fabric as soon as they pop free. She doesn’t protest, so he moves his fingers to play with her hardening nipples. “Oh, Ben, _oh_ …”

He hums in response to her enjoying herself, and his hand moves down to grip her pert derrière and push it even closer to him. They’re moving in the same rhythm now, her hips meeting his every advancement.

It was wonderful, and it felt _amazing._ She never thought doing something like this with someone else would feel so good. She’s glad it's with Ben.

She orgasms like that, against his length, her hands fisting at his shirt. He kisses her neck relentlessly until her breathing evens out underneath him.

When he finally pulls back from her neck, he stiffens a laugh. She’s already fast asleep beneath him, the orgasm had knocked her right out.

After giving her a quick kiss on the forehead, Ben blows out the candle at their bedside, ready to fall asleep too.

They both snore long into the night, arms and legs tangled up in each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the smut begins. The next chapter is a fun day in Exogol! And what is Poe up to? ;)
> 
> Archive Warning:  
> \- Rey orgasms from grinding on Ben. They only begin to hook up after she officially turns 18. No underage fiddle-faddle in this fic.


End file.
